


Favourite Christmas Story

by kissinggfish



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Based off a song, Christmas, Christmas Story, Death, F/M, cancer tw, it took me so long bc im lazy, pls love me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2014-12-24
Packaged: 2018-03-03 05:19:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2839469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kissinggfish/pseuds/kissinggfish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was December 24, about a quarter til 11, when he finally gained the courage to ask her to dance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Favourite Christmas Story

A few weeks ago, his childhood friend sent him a message. 

\--ectoBiologist [EB] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 10:47--

 

EB: Hey! I`m having a Christmas party, you should try to come  
EB: I mean, if you want to :B  
\--turntechGodhead [TG] is an idle chum!—  
EB: You`re probably busy  
EB: It`s Christmas eve at the old church  
EB: The one where we used to hang out.

 

\--turntechGodhead [TG] began pestering ectoBiologist [EB] at 23:19—

 

TG: ill try  
EB: Oh awesome!  
EB: It`s a black tie event, by the way  
\--turntechGodhead [TG] is an idle chum!—

 

\--ectoBiologist ceased pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 23:25—

Dave was actually in the area, but about to catch a plane to Alaska to see the Northern Lights and photograph them. He was always fascinated by the Lights. But, Dave could be a little late for that appointment. It was his childhood friend for goodness sake!

After high school, Dave moved out of their small town and never looked back. John seemed to have stayed there. His entire life was in that town, so Dave couldn`t really blame him. All throughout high school, Dave dreamed about leaving and travelling. He planned out this elaborate trip. It didn`t turn out at all like he planned.

 

Dave Strider packed his most important belongings into a small suitcase. His camera supplies, a couple weeks` worth of clothes, his wallet, a tent, blankets and three notebooks called his bucket list fit quite well and Dave even managed to fit his laptop and his senior yearbook.

Often, when asked what the best day of his life is Dave responds that it was when he finally graduated from MPAHS. Still in his graduation robe, Dave filled up his tank in the single station and waved goodbye to the graduating class of 2001. He sped out of the turn and watched gleefully as the small crowd grew smaller and smaller in his rearview mirror. Dave was still a minor, but who cares. He was always the youngest person in his grade.

 

As Christmas grew closer, Dave hopped from town to town, each increasingly closer to his hometown.Christmas eve, Dave straightened his bowtie and smoothed down his rented vest. It was around seven in the evening before Dave even got the courage to leave the hotel and drive the thirty-five minutes it took to get from his motel room to the old church. Not like he counted, though.  
Even after two years, he knew the way like the back of his hand. Turn left and drive fourteen miles on the freeway until you hit the exit and then pass the old BBQ place where Dave got his first kiss. After you drive on that road for a while, you enter the actual town. The police station is one of the first things you see, followed by run down businesses and a library. Drive on the winding road for another mile and hit the little pavilion next to the run down dock. Park in the “pay” parking area and then after you hop across the road, you`re at the old church.

 

It`s long since stopped being a place of congregation and became a “hip” spot for all the high school students to be. Dave took his first hit on a pipe in the basement at a rave someone tried to organize. That was a failure, since half the people attempting to come couldn`t find it, and the other half were minors who wanted to try drugs for the first time. The strongest thing Dave saw at the party was a bit of lsd laced pot. Or at least that`s what Mitch said it was.

 

He double checked his hair in the rear view mirror before shutting off the engine. Dave Strider strode into his old town the way he left it: confident, tall and dying. Though, to be fair, when he left, Dave thought it would be the last time he ever heard about the pathetic hillside that called itself a town. It looked the same as it did two years ago. Dave didn`t, but it was still the same person on the inside.  
Since high school, Dave upgraded his angular shades to a more modern (less obnoxious) pair of Ray Bans and changed his haircut from a mop-like mess to a sleek version of the original. Whenever he goes and gets it cut, he tells the stylist to give him an undercut and keep the bangs just a little below his brow. However, it`s been a long time since he`s gotten a haircut. In school, Dave was just less than six feet tall (5’10”). Now, he stood at an impressive 6’2”. He was still lean and bony.

 

The church was in shambles. It smelled vaguely of piss and alcohol. John, or whoever hosted the party, swept up and strung lights. Air fresheners were seen at every available plug. The big chandelier was dusted off, shined and lit up. The glass balls protecting the light bulb were (presumably) spray painted to give off a stained glass vibe. There was music playing from a stereo and the school vice principal was sitting next to it acting as the DJ. People he knew and didn`t were all there. Lots of older people, kids and his graduating class attended.

 

“Dave?” the young man turns around to find his shorter companion. “Dave! I`ve missed you!” John looked the same as he did. Unruly dark hair, glasses, blue eyes, and buck teeth gave him away. He looked like he grew a few inches. Dave stood taller, as always. John hugged his friend around the waist and squeezed like a vice.

 

“Hey squirt,” Dave teased John, ruffling his hair. “How`s it been?”

 

“Good. I mean, I`m alive, right? How`re you! I haven`t seen you in eons! It`s only been two years. But so much can happen!” He let Dave go and allowed him to straighten his shirt before taking Dave by the hand and pulling his towards the tables set up with food. “Come on, I`ll introduce you to my wife.”

 

Dave spent most of the evening talking with John, reconnecting and making a promise to try to get online more often. He met John`s pregnant wife, Roxy. She was stunning in a blue dress and her blonde hair curled. Roxy gave him a recipe for a casserole Dave will probably never make. When asked about their expecting child, John blushed and pretended to see an old friend. Roxy explained how it was an accident and neither wanted her or were in anyway prepared to raise a child, so they are putting the child up for adoption. It was all a very personal matter and Dave felt awkward being included in on this matter, but congratulated them for being strong and brave and what not. He excused himself away to the bathroom.

He sat there until his phone read 10:00. The only people left was what remained of his graduating class and the older kids who don`t believe in Santa anymore. Dave waved off John`s questions by telling him it was gorgeous outside and he just needed to get the right picture to capture it. He was taking pictures of the dancers now, and a girl caught his eye.

 

She was wearing dark red lipstick that matched the colour of her dress. It had a black sash tied in a bow around her waist. The skirt flared out as she spun and her smile was dazzling. Her hair was short, held back with a black headband and followed her jawline perfectly. This woman was gorgeous. Dave smiled behind his camera as he caught a picture of her, in the middle of a spin. She looked like she could kill a man with a flick of her wrist and never turn back.

 

It took him a long time to actually go up to the dance floor. Dave swallowed his fear and grabbed two glasses of punch.

 

“Hey, I was wondering if you`d like to have this dance?” He offered a small smile and the girl nodded, taking the drink.

 

“I would love to. You`re not from here, are you?” The two of them stand off to the side and sip their drinks. “I can tell by your shifting around. And you`ve spoken to three people this entire party.” She motioned to the clock on the wall. “It`s a quarter til eleven, so you`ve been mostly alone all evening.”

Dave nodded. “I grew up here. John was my best friend. I never quite fit in, though. I travel around a lot now.”

 

The couple set their drinks down and moves to the dance floor as the next song starts up. She asked Dave a lot of questions, mostly about his travels. He asks her why she moved to such a small place and why she doesn`t leave. She is leaving, he learns. She works at a diner the next town over and is leaving for medical school soon. Dave then tells his mystery girl about the flight he is going to take soon to Alaska.

 

“I`m going to photograph the Northern Lights on Christmas night, my flight leaves...” Dave checks his watch. “Shit. It leaves in like, three hours. I have to go. I`m sorry.” He let her go and waved goodbye.

 

“Happy Christmas!” Dave called as he ran out.

 

His truck took a minute to start up and he sped the entire way to the SeaTac airport. Dave made it through check in and security just as his plane started to board. His gate was close, so the blonde booked it all the way and sat down in his seat, breathless.

 

The flight consisted of polite chatter with the old woman sitting next to him and showing the same woman pictures from Europe.

“A good looking man like you, why are you all alone on Christmas?” She prompted. The woman had knitting in her lap, a large Christmas pin in her white hair and kind grandma eyes.

 

“Just am. I don`t like being tied to the land.” Dave pulled the tray out in front of him and set his laptop down.

 

“No girl in your life?”

 

“It`s just me and my camera. Sometimes I meet a girl and hang with her for a little.” Dave thought of the girl from tonight.

 

“Mind showing an old widow some pictures? I used to be like you before I met my late husband.”

 

“Not at all, here.” Dave plugged in his camera, uploaded all the ones from tonight and turned it so the old woman could see them. “These are from Switzerland last month... I went to Auschwitz for Thanksgiving... Then I backpacked in Norway. I love the sky there... And these are from my hometown. I went back to see a friend.”

 

“Such beauty.” The old woman points to the girl. “Who is she?”

Dave shrugs. “I don`t know her name. I danced with her tonight. Sometimes people just click, and I felt that.” He received a light smack with a knitting needle.

 

“You always ask for the name of your dance partner.”

 

“Yeah, well I had to catch this flight.” Dave muttered, rubbing his arm. “I`ll never see her again, so what`s the deal?”

 

“When you click with someone, that person is very important in your life. Take the advice of this old widow. Find her.”

 

“But—“

 

“You find the girl.” The woman went back to her knitting.

 

“I don`t think I ever will.” Dave mutters, turning on his music.

 

The plane landed in Anchorage around 4:30 in the morning. Dave bid his row mate a happy Christmas as they parted ways. There was a float plane waiting for him that would take him further north. He sat patiently as the other person on the plane explained how the float planes worked and it went in one ear and out the other. All he needed was a lift.

 

Several hours and a boat ride later, Dave is setting up his tripod to capture the magical lights. They looked even more gorgeous in person.

 

Everything was covered in a fresh layer of snow, the clouds had dispersed and the mountain set a perfect background. Dave had set up next to a small frozen river and a forest. The lights were bright green surrounded by duller purples and blues and a little red hidden behind the trees. The river caught the reflection and wow. It was just magical. His watch read too late to go back to the boat so he pitched the tent and bundled up in the blankets.

Dave fell asleep and dreamed about the girl in the red dress. They had danced the rest of the night away, went back to her place and they fell asleep next to each other, still in their formal wear. In the morning, Dave woke up at the crack of dawn (excellent idea to face the east when sleeping) and packed away his belongings after taking a few pictures of the sunrise.

 

Next year, he was out on the road for Christmas. John invited him back, but he was on the wrong side of the coast for that and by the time Dave read the message, it was already too late to arrive on time.

 

Dave entered a small diner late at night and sat down. It was just him and a waitress in the front. Dave`s heart fluttered when he saw her. She wore short blonde hair like his girl withno name. But when she came over, Dave saw she was average looking and not at all her. She smiled with the intensity of a thousand suns and jingled as she walked over.

 

“Hi! I`m Terezi, I`ll be your server.” Terezi wore a lot of red and her Santa hat has several jingle bells sewn to it, as well as her apron and shoes. “Our special is Santa Stacks with bacon.”

 

Dave looks the menu over for a bit. “Uh, can I just get a short stack and coffee? No whip or anything weird.”

 

“Coming right up!” she gave a thumbs up and gave the chef his paper thing. Terezi returned quickly and sat down across from him, pouring both of them a cup of coffee.

 

“Would you tell me a Christmas story? It`s my favourite holiday.” Terezi offered him creamer and stirred several packets of sugar into her own cup.

 

“Uh, sure. Here`s my favourite Christmas story called a girl with no name...” Dave smiled softly. “I met a girl up in Washington last year. I was at a party and our eyes met across the room and we just clicked. It was like love at first sight. She was wearing red lipstick that matched her pretty dress. December 24, about a quarter til 11, is when I finally gained the courage to ask her to dance.”

 

Several months later, Dave found himself in a hospital bed with someone stabbing his arm with an IV drip.

 

“Fuck! What are you doing?” Dave winced as the medical person, presumably an intern, stuck him in the wrong spot. “Get out!” He was hooked up to several monitors and there was a red button on the side of the bed. In medical shows, that summoned a doctor, so Dave pressed it.

 

In that second, two nurses and a doctor came rushing in. They checked his pulse, heart rate, blood pressure, whatever they do with those mallets, and then asked him a lot of questions.

 

“Dave Strider... Twenty years old... Shellfish... Yes... A positive... Yes... Yes... To save you the trouble, I`ve travelled around the world... Eight or so... Yes... Uh, not really, no.” He shrugged awkwardly at their last question. Is there anyone we can call for you? He had no one. John would come in a heartbeat, but Dave couldn`t trouble him. Also there was the slight problem of not knowing where he was or his phone number. Dave never had close friends and kept them for long periods of time.

 

The doctors got a wheelchair for Dave and wheeled him around the hospital to radiology where he got xrays and a CT and a bunch of other tests done. He was left alone in the room after that. The nurse said they would let him know when results were done and they could explain why he fainted. She also told him to push the red button in emergencies, the blue one when he needed something like food or assistance in doing something. Food would be brought to him at 6 and extra blankets were in the drawer across from the bed. She left with a smile.

 

Dave lay in the bed for a while, just staring at the ceiling. He must have fallen asleep because when he came to, a doctor was checking his pulse and changing the bag of fluids.

 

“Good morning, sunshine. You must not get a lot of rest. It`s been twelve hours since we last spoke. Do you know who I am?” The man covered his name badge and waited patiently.

 

“Doctor....” Dave paused. “You never introduced yourself? I know I`m at the Derse- Prospitarian Hospital in London. It`s April 13, 2005. My name is Dave Strider. I fainted in the produce section.”

 

His doctor nodded and game a thumbs up. “Good job. My name is Doctor Scratch. I have your test results. Would you like to eat first, or?” He held up several folders.

 

Dave`s stomach growled then. He hadn`t realised he was so hungry. “Food, please.”

 

In the cafeteria, nothing looked particularly appetizing, so he just grabbed apple juice and what looked like oatmeal and called it good. Dave sat down alone and wolfed his food down quickly. No one talked to him, which was just good. A nurse helped Dave back to his room after he wandered around for ten minutes.

 

The blonde man bounced onto his bed and waited another half hour for Doc Scratch to come back. In the meantime, he found his suitcase with his camera and took pictures of the view in his room. He hacked into the hospital`s wifi and blogged a little bit. Dave also checked PC for any messages.

 

\--ectoBiologist [EB] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 02:50—

 

EB: hope you’re okay  
EB: haven’t heard from you in a while  
EB: :B

 

\--ectoBiologist [EB] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 20:32—

 

EB: Easter party?  
EB: come visit  
EB: I miss you

 

\--tipsyGnostalgic [TG] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 15:27—

TG: hehe we haff the same cuhm intitials  
TG: have* chum*  
TG: initials*  
TG: johnny misses youuuu  
TG: come visit us and the kids  
TG: we have kids noa  
TG: now*

 

\--tentacleTherapist [TT] began pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 04:13—

 

TT: I haven’t the slightest idea who you are, but my friend John here told me to send you a message. If you are in trouble with John, just send him an apology and everything will  
blow over. If John is in trouble with you, forgive him. He talks about you all the time. Dave, we have never met and you are insufferable. I don`t see why you won`t message John.

 

\--turntechGodhead [TG] is an idle chum!—

 

TT: I have no time for your childish antics. Unlike some people I know, I`m attempting to succeed in my life. I have medical boards to study for, so if you don`t mind, I bid you adieu and best of luck with you and your social problems.

 

\--tentacleTherapist [TT] ceases pestering turntechGodhead [TG] at 04:36—

 

Dave shut his computer without answering any of them. He probably should have at least told John happy birthday. Maybe this Christmas, he`ll go down and visit them. Roxy must have been drunk when she sent those messages to him. He recalls her looking at the drink cart a lot, but consuming none.

 

Who was tentacleTherapist? Obviously someone John knows, probably a coworker. Dave would ask them who they were after the doctor told him the results.

 

“I have good news and bad news, Mr. Strider. Which would you like to hear first?” Scratch came into the room, shutting the door behind him and a nurse. The nurse busied himself with changing the bag of fluid again while the doctor sat down on the side of the bed.

 

“Bad news first,” he decided apprehensively. “I guess.”

 

“Bad news is, you have a tumor on your pancreas. It`s a grade 4 T1-4 tumor, which means that it`s highly abnormal and increasing rapidly. Good news, however, is that your blood test shows that the growth is benign. You don`t have cancer.”

 

Dave stopped for a second. Tumors were bad news, always. The fact that it is increasing rapidly is cause for concern too. “Can you remove it?”

He checked his chart again before nodding. “Yes, we can. In fact, I think I can schedule it for this afternoon. Would you like that?” Doc Scratch clicked his pen, waiting for his answer.

 

“Of course, like now please.” Dave gave a short laugh and waited for Scratch to say something.

 

“Yes, we can schedule you for tonight. Seven, if you have anyone who you want around.” He wrote it down and left the room to update the nurses.

 

Dave took a deep breath and grabbed his laptop up. He updated his photography blog, messaged back TT (mostly saying it was none of their business) and googled pancreatic tumors. Time flew by because soon enough, a couple people came in and prepped him for surgery.

He doesn`t remember anything after that point. Dave took a selfie with the two interns and then let them do their thing. They wheeled him into the operating room and they gassed him with the good stuff.

 

Dave woke up bleary eyed. A young woman was standing over him, checking his pupillary response. He groaned and moved the light away from him.

"Good news, Mr. Strider!” She spoke softly. “You survived your surgery. Bad news, however, is that your blood test was false. The mass on your pancreas is cancerous. We couldn`t remove all of it.”

 

His abdomen felt like it was hacked into pieces and his chest felt very small. He had cancer. Dave bit his bottom lip and nodded. “What`s the plan, doc?” Hopefully they could kill it with chemo or something.

 

“We don`t know. Doctor Scratch and I were going to discuss further treatment with you after he finished his consult. It shouldn`t be more than an hour.” The other doctor gave him a solemn nod and Dave watched her check her pager and leave.

 

In that approximate hour, Dave googled cancer and his survival rates, not that Doctor Scratch and the other doctor couldn`t tell him that. It was just something to do.

“Dave, I am dreadfully sorry about the blood test mix up. Thank goodness we caught it now though. It`s early enough for you to have a chance.” Doctor Scratch came into the room, smiling. “We can get you set up for chemotherapy and radiation and we can try to eradicate the cancer. Do you have any questions?”

 

Dave pursed his lips. “Survival rates?”

 

“23%, at most,” His smile faded and the woman looked down to her clipboard. “I know it`s not the best, but you have to keep fighting. What do you say?”

“I need to make a phone call first.”

 

The doctors shut his door and Dave grabbed for his cell phone and scrolled through his contacts until he hit John`s home number. It`s been a few years, but John probably still lived here, or at least kept the same number. Dave pressed call and listened to the dial tone.

 

“Hello, this is John.” The voice on the other end sounded exactly like Egbert.

 

“Hey! Egderp, how ya been?” Dave smiled and gave his doctor a thumbs-up while the man left.

 

“Dave? Wow! It`s been a few years. I pestered you, but I don`t know if you got them...”

 

“Yeah, I got a couple messages. I hear you`ve got kids now. Congrats. Rox messaged me, same with a tentacleThorax or something. I dunno. But hey, I`ve got some news.”

 

“Yeah, her name`s Casey. I love her.” John gushed about his child for a moment. “But what news do ya have to share?”

 

Dave took a deep breath. “I have cancer. I don`t know how much longer I have. The uh, Doctor just said I have 23% survival.”

 

Silence. Dave couldn`t hear anything on the other end. The blond took several deep breaths to calm him down. He then heard John choking back tears. “Where are you? I should be there with you.”

 

“No, I`m fine. I just... I think I`m going to move back in a few years and I needed to tell someone, in case I don`t make it.” Dave explained. “I`ll buy my old place and live back home until I croak. I need to finish my list though. I have to.”

 

If John was with him, Dave imagined John giving a resigned nod. “Okay. You keep in touch, okay?”

 

“Of course, dude. You`re my best friend.” Dave hung up before he said anything more. Going home was an awful idea. Maybe he`ll grab an apartment in the city, near the hospital. Wait, why give everything up? Dave knows he won`t want to settle down until he can`t move anymore. He started to look up flights that left this evening.

 

The first place he could go was Colorado. That plane left in three hours. Dave had to get discharged first, so he took a flight to Vancouver, Canada in six hours and gathered up all his stuff.

Every Christmas season, as he travelled the world, Dave would tell the story about his girl with no name. He hoped that someone would know her and he would be able to find her before he died.

 

“I met a girl up in Washington. I was at a party and our eyes met across the room and we just clicked. It was like love at first sight. She was wearing red lipstick that matched her pretty dress. December 24, about a quarter til 11, is when I finally gained the courage to ask her to dance.”

 

During the festival of colour in India, Dave met a kind girl who said she knew his girl from the States. She was a doctor who once came in to give a speech. The girl didn`t remember her name, but the description matched.

 

The next year, Dave flew back to the United States. He finished his bucket list. It was getting harder for him to breathe and sometimes he needed to sit down, or else he would pass out. So, as promised, Dave went back to Washington and settled down in a town near the hospital. John visited every once in a while.

 

Settled in, Dave would let kids come and listen to his stories about his life on the road. Every Christmas eve, they showed up before dark. He told them the story called a girl with no name. He told it every year and they knew it by heart. Dave always told it the same:

 

“I met a girl up in Washington. I was at a party and our eyes met across the room and we just clicked. It was like love at first sight. She was wearing red lipstick that matched her pretty dress. December 24, about a quarter til 11, is when I finally gained the courage to ask her to dance.”

 

Ten years after he met the girl with no name, Dave was dying. He lay in a hospital bed, scrolling through his old blog, wishing he could have done more. John went across the country for the holidays. He had no one left anymore. Dave scrolled to his favourite picture. It was the one from the holiday party. His mystery dancer looked gorgeous, and she probably still was, wherever she was.

 

As he could feel his breaths start to hurt, he pressed the button to summon someone. Dave turned to see a kindly girl come in and sit down. She took his hand and squeezed it firmly.

 

“Ma`am, could you share Christmas story? That`s all I want to hear.” Dave coughed, struggling to take a breath.

 

“Of course,” She smiled. She had pretty blonde hair with a hairband in it. She looked lonely and sad, like someone was missing in her life. Her name tag read Rose Lalonde MD and she looked gorgeous.

His eyes filled with tears at the words she spoke because his favourite Christmas story was the one that she told.

 

“I met him up in Washington. I never caught his name. He was dressed to the nines, a travelling man. It was, honestly, love at first sight. December 24, about a quarter til 11, I`m so glad he got the courage to ask me to dance.”

 

The monitor started to slow down and flat line just as he got out the words: “I`m your travelling man.”

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays everyone. Find my tumblr at turntech-lesbian. I'd love to hear from you guys. Stay safe out there! Please excuse any spacing oddities, I am posting this on my phone.


End file.
